joseph
Joined: 14 Feb 2007
Posts: 318
Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2010 8:21 am** *Post subject: "Gladiatrix' book review
“Gladiatrix” book review
As I think some members here sometimes like to read GOOD books – I want to recommend the one I read last days, especially I can’t remember if here was a word mentioned of this one…
Russell Whitfield | Historical Fiction | Gladiatrix
Yes, it was issued for English readers in early 2009, but I can get it into my hands only now and…. WOOOOOOW!!!!
Some time (about 10 or more years) ago I found on the web the site with this (or actually: very similar) article….
Gladiator Gals | Socyberty
…and my first thought was “What a perfect motif for a great book!!!!”….
…and now – speaking shortly - I can say, that my long term dream after all those years at least come true!!!! It’s with no doubts one of the best books I read last years…It’s simply the GREAT ONE!!!!! Pain and torment, hope and despair, friendship, love and sex, joy and sadness, need for freedom and adiction to the arena, trust, treason and lust for revenge – the life and the death - all these extremely emotions and situations are present here in this brutal, but – in my opinion – great describing gladiator’s life story with its rises and falls…
Is this bloody story? – yes… Is this brutal one? – yes…. Is this pornographic? – NO!!! Even if there are some sex scenes, I don’t think gladiator’s life in ancient Rome was too much romantic one – but there was some place for sex too…
Yes, somebody can say some characters are better or worse created, somebody can like or dislike them or say they are brash ones, somebody can say there are not too much historical events and descriptions etc… - but this is the story created and written the way (in my opinion) – let’s say: in some moments you can almost feel the bloody arena’s sand under your feet…
Of course, this is NOT ‘fetish’ book - you can find there all, what you want for great adventure/historical reading….Actually – at some moment I found myself horrible shocked (NOT pleased or excited - simply shocked and sad!!!!) after the demise of some female character…. I don’t think, the ‘gladiator’s’ book can be written without some fighting scenes… The arena fights (there are about 10 of them) descriptions are simply unbelievably great (and bloody)…. For the book illustration perfectly fits some of Alistair Leslie’s poser pictures, some of you probably knows (and likes) – and some of them were used for official (?) promotional wideo of this book…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AicIj...has_verified=1
The first sequel – or actually: the continuation of ‘Gladiatrix’ story - is on it’s way (it will be available at March, 15, 2011) – I simply can’t wait for this book…..
j
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Sandi
Joined: 03 May 2006
Posts: 4078
Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2010 12:07 pm** *Post subject:
Joseph,
This book is NOT a surprise to me! Matter of fact, I've known it was coming, in some form or another, for 5 years.
Do you know why?
In the flourishing years of Yahoo Groups, one of the most popular in terms of story-writing and role-playing was named "Gladiatrixs".
It was originally run by an English woman, who later had to drop out of the community because she was spending too much time in it, and immersing in her Character too much.
It was then taken over by another English woman......YES, Joseph, her real name.....was Sally. And she was married to a Russell. And they had a daughter named Samantha.
I knew she would do this, and part of me is excited to read it, and part of me is somewhat angry because we all were 'used' years ago, to an extent, for a project these two had in mind from the beginning. I'm not resentful, yet those of us who MADE that site with our participation are of course not compensated nor, I am certain, referenced in any way.
That's all fine and legal, I'm sure, because there is no copyright on Internet site talks and things posted, I would assume. If there is, some of us may choose to make an issue, though I am not one of them.
All credit to them for their cleverness in providing more 'input' and motivation for their book.
Sally, or Kassandra as she was known at the Group, played a Spartan General, a former Gladiatrix now in favor with higher level Romans.
She was NOT into the 'death' parts of 'our' fantasies at ALL, one of the very few women who played there who was not.
I would never reveal these things before, but now that this book is out, I feel no bond of secrecy as to what I learned about certain people at that site.
I will avoid providing real pictures of this Sally that I possess. But I know her, and spent COUNTLESS hours both in private and public in talking about things, and in role-playing, and in participation in TWO six-month long interactive stories that about 20-30 of US created ad lib at that site.
One was a mythical Rome vs. Amazonia conflict where the Romans 'invaded' Amazonia. We each chose a side to play on, and invented a totally fictitious Character and Character Name.
Sally headed the Roman side. All we knew when we began was that the Romans would 'win', because allegedly SHE (and she may be as into this as Russell, I would not know now) was such an expert on Rome and their methods of war and how phalanxes and archers and all were deployed an in what sequence during battles and all of that.
Sally wanted it kept as 'real' as possible. She endured the rest of the women, who were all into the fantasies in some way or another.
We loved 'dying' in the Arena, fighting against each other, again ad lib. We were superb at painting word pictures.
But her influence was always there to 'keep it a bit real'.
Why? Now I see the 'why', and I suspected it all the while and knew that even when Yahoo suddenly eliminated the Group, that she had EVERY single word 'saved' and captured for 'some' future endeavor that would make money from OUR efforts.
We were there for fun. She was there for profit. So that does 'hurt' a bit years later to find out my suspicions were correct.
But that takes away NOTHING from the 3 years or so of INTENSE fun we had there. Even then, over 6 years ago now, I guess (since I joined DS in May, 2004 after those Yahoo Groups were all closed down), there were over 4000 Members at the Group we all called 'G'.
Most of the Players were women, but men were free to join in and some did.
But our 'fans' were ecstatic at anything we did. The praise came rolling in, effusive and real.
Because we were most excellent at CONVEYING that REAL feel....of the Arena....of Rome.....of the life of a Gladiatrix....the training.....all of it.....
So I am excited yet obviously a bit perturbed that we were 'used' as I thought we were being used.
I regret none of it, because that was the most exciting and very deeply real expression of emotion of our fantasies with which I've ever been associated.
These women were INTENSE....lol.
Yet interestingly, in the six month story, not one of us had our Character killed off.....even though in side-bar posts we would conduct unrelated fights using the same Character name we used in the Main Story, as we called it.
But 'Kass'....or Sally in real life.....was the one who knew the most about all these realities.
Now I understand why. And I think it's somewhat understandable that my first reaction is "WOW, how REAL the Internet really IS" and yet....."darn them, they used us for their own profit gain later".
I knew it then, and of course would not have acted differently because we had fun there.
And provided them with input they used for their book.
If anyone does not connect the Internet with Reality, this Book Production is proof that this new world is also very real.
It will make those people very rich, probably. Some of that, again, I cannot help but resent, because of course none of this was ever told to us, as the 'ultimate result' they intended.
Anyone here who was in that Group will dispute nothing I've said here.
Thanks for the notification of the book. You may even be involved with it or one of those who was at 'G' back in the day. Probably not, but I'm just acknowledging the possibility.
One problem I have with 'real' relationships on the Net is that I know that some are only playing games and will use 'input' for some future endeavor of their own.
But, so be it. The years were fun. And someone will profit mightily, partially due to the efforts of about 50 other people who poured their hearts and Souls into what we shared there.
She later created another Website that might still be around, or that they might have eliminated now that the book is out...called Gladiatrix, or something similar.
Of course, most of the true research Russell and/or Sally did had nothing to do with the "G" site, but I simply know that they gleaned a lot from what many Others contributed there.
Thanks again for the information, and an amazing tie-in from the Internet to very real life.
Sandi
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